Live from Maidstone Lit Fest - with Maria McErlane

In the second half of our live double bill recorded at The Poodle Club on Galentine’s Day, Rosie chats to comedian Hatty Ashdown and million-selling author Julie Cohen about bisexuality, divorcing during a pandemic, staying friends with an ex, separating when you have kids, how to flirt with a lesbian, how women should go about letting each other know they’re interested, hand signals (and fingers!) as a flirting technique, crying at the school gates, making a video of yourself crying and an exciting reveal about who one of my guests might’ve once fancied. Could it be one of the guests from the first half of our double bill…? Recorded at The Poodle Club on 13 February 2025. You can now follow The Breakup Monologues on Instagram and Threads @breakupmonologues and buy The Breakup Monologues book from all good bookshops: https://linktr.ee/breakupmonologues The Breakup Monologues will also be recording live at The Poodle Club on April 24. Come and be part of it: https://wegottickets.com/event/651454 Follow Hatty on Instagram @hattyashdown Follow Julie on Instagram @juliecohenauthor and check out all her books (including the three mentioned - Summer People, Bad Men and Eat Slay Love) at all good bookshops. 

In a live conversation recorded at The Poodle Club on Galentine’s Day, Rosie chats to comedian Kate Martin and author Nicola Dinan about queer women staying friends after a breakup, crushes on teachers, writing fiction that draws on real-life experiences, choosing someone nice as opposed to just superficially attractive, recognising people you’ve rejected on Tinder and much more.  Recorded at The Poodle Club on 13 February 2025.  You can now follow The Breakup Monologues on Instagram and Threads @breakupmonologues and buy The Breakup Monologues book from all good bookshops: https://linktr.ee/breakupmonologues The Breakup Monologues will also be recording live at The Poodle Club on April 24. Come and be part of it: https://wegottickets.com/event/651454 Follow Kate on Instagram @thatkatemartin  Follow Nicola on Instagram @nicoladinan and check out her books Disappoint Me and Bellies at all good bookshops

In a live conversation recorded at Maidstone Lit Fest, Rosie chats to comedian, actor, writer and broadcaster Maria McErlane about her memoir Bumps in the Road, bicycles as a metaphor for life’s ups and downs, the London comedy circuit in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Maria’s TV career, her friendship with Graham Norton, Maria’s sexual awakening and first heartbreak, celebrity and fame. Recorded at Maidstone Lit Fest on 9 October 2024. You can now follow The Breakup Monologues on Instagram and Threads @breakupmonologues and buy The Breakup Monologues book from all good bookshops: https://linktr.ee/breakupmonologues Follow Maria on Instagram @mariamcerlane Follow Maidstone Lit Fest on Instagram @maidstonelitfest

In an episode recorded in a community garden on New York’s Lower East Side, Rosie chats to author and relationship coach Laura Boyle about her book Monogamy? In This Economy?, the relative financial and emotional costs of breakups in monogamous and polyamorous setups, relationship anarchy, metamours, slow breakups, de-escalation and conscious communication skills. They’re then joined by storyteller and educator Alex Alberto who discusses their book Entwined: Essays on Polyamory and Creating Home, redefining notions of failure and success, breakups and creativity, professional breakups, professional jealousy and more. You can now follow The Breakup Monologues on Instagram and Threads @breakupmonologues and buy The Breakup Monologues book from all good bookshops: https://linktr.ee/breakupmonologues Follow Laura on Instagram @readyforpolyamory Follow Alex on Instagram @thatalexalberto

In a live episode recorded at Jersey Festival of Words, Rosie chats to author Cathy Rentzenbrink about murderous menopausal thoughts, HRT, marriage, staying friends with an ex, weddings going wrong, how to feel better when times are hard, the healing powers of humour, curiosity, carbs, daylight, words and cold water, cosmic insignificance theory, the meditations of Roman emporer Marcus Aurelius and much more. Recorded at Jersey Festival of Words on 28 September 2024. You can now follow The Breakup Monologues on Instagram and Threads @breakupmonologues and buy The Breakup Monologues book from all good bookshops: https://linktr.ee/breakupmonologues Follow Cathy on Instagram @catrentzenbrink Follow Jersey Festival of Words on Instagram @jerseyfestivalofwords

In a live episode recorded at Hoxton Hall, Rosie chats to comedian Jen Ives and writer / performer Emma Frankland about whether we’d go and see an ex doing a show all about their exes, actively choosing to stay in relationships (or not), growing up during the Section 28 years and not having access to information about trans identities, writing for Hollyoaks and much more. We also hear a fantastic audience contribution about a platonic relationship breakup from Tamara Micner. This episode was the second half of a live double bill. You may want to listen to our previous episode to hear Josi’s poem, which we refer to a number of times. Recorded at Hoxton Hall, as part of Hackney Pride 365’s Trans Awareness Week season, on 17 November 2023. With thanks to Hackney Pride 365 and to ELOP. You can now follow The Breakup Monologues on Instagram and Threads @breakupmonologues and buy The Breakup Monologues book from all good bookshops: https://linktr.ee/breakupmonologues Follow Jen on Instagram @imjenives Follow Emma on Instagram @notyetarobot Follow Tamara on Instagram @tamarafm

In a live episode recorded at Hoxton Hall, Rosie chats to comedian Cerys Bradley and broadcaster Shivani Dave about weddings, coming out as nonbinary, when to advise a friend to break up with their partner and the best chocolate treats to turn to after a heartbreak. We also hear some fantastic audience contributions from poet Josi and writer Katie Hall. Recorded at Hoxton Hall, as part of Hackney Pride 365’s Trans Awareness Week season, on 17 November 2023. With thanks to Hackney Pride 365 and to ELOP. You can now follow The Breakup Monologues on Instagram and Threads @breakupmonologues and buy The Breakup Monologues book from all good bookshops: https://linktr.ee/breakupmonologues Follow Cerys on Instagram @hashtagcerys Follow Shiv on Instagram @shivscamp Follow Katie on Instagram @katiemargarethall

In a live episode recorded at The Exhibit in Balham, Rosie chats to comedians Mary O’Connell, Hajar J. Woodland and Sharlin Jahan about the healing power of comedy, Tig Notaro, bisexuality, getting divorced in your twenties then going to LA and hitting on John Mayer, growing up Muslim, arranged marriages, sex ed lessons, giving yourself permission to cry and whether or not Sainsbury’s is the best supermarket for cruising. Recorded at Cheerful Earful Podcast Festival on 4 November 2023. You can now follow The Breakup Monologues on Instagram and Threads @breakupmonologues and buy The Breakup Monologues book from all good bookshops: https://linktr.ee/breakupmonologues The Breakup Monologues will also be recording live episodes at Hoxton Hall on 17 November as part of Hackney Pride’s celebrations of Trans Awareness Week: https://www.hoxtonhall.co.uk/event/112321/ Follow Mary on Instagram @marywiththegoldshoes Follow Hajar on Instagram @hajarjwoodland Follow Sharlin on Instagram @sharlincomedy

In a live episode recorded at Margate Bookie, Rosie chats to authors Lucy Vine and Olivia Petter plus comedian Zahra Barri about whether we all have seven archetypes of ex - the first love, the work mistake, the friend with benefits, the overlap, the missed chance, the bastard and the serious one, dating app culture, whether marriages should expire after a certain duration, whether there should be a lower age limit (of around 35 or 40!) of when you can marry, writing as catharsis, staying accountable for our part in a breakup, doing the emotional housework in a relationship, losing ourselves in relationships, whether to stop drinking after a breakup and much more.  Recorded at Margate Bookie on 22 October 2023. You can now follow The Breakup Monologues on Instagram and Threads @breakupmonologues and buy The Breakup Monologues book from all good bookshops: https://linktr.ee/breakupmonologues The Breakup Monologues will also be recording live episodes at Hoxton Hall on 17 November as part of Hackney Pride’s celebrations of Trans Awareness Week: https://www.hoxtonhall.co.uk/event/112321/ Follow Lucy on Instagram @lucyvineauthor  Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviapetter  Follow Zahra on Instagram @zahra.barri.comedy  Follow Margate Bookie on Instagram @margatebookie    With additional thanks to our friend Vix Leyton, who you can follow @vixleyton 

In a live episode recorded at The Bullingdon as part of IF Oxford, Rosie chats to anthropologist and evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar and author Max Dickins about friendship - why why we need friends, how many friends we can have, friendship breakups, the ambiguous language of friendship, the When Harry Met Sally (or when Sally met Sally) question, Jane Austen’s observations on relationships, whether a close romantic friendship could ever count as ‘cheating’, the differences between (straight) male and female friendships and the experience of people with identities beyond those binaries.  Recorded at The Bullingdon as part of IF Oxford on 17 October 2023. You can now follow The Breakup Monologues on Instagram and Threads @breakupmonologues and buy The Breakup Monologues book from all good bookshops: https://linktr.ee/breakupmonologues The Breakup Monologues will also be recording live episodes at Margate Bookie on 22 October and Cheerful Earful Podcast Festival in London on 4 November:    https://www.dreamland.co.uk/event/live-podcast-the-breakup-monologues/   https://www.streathamspaceproject.co.uk/whats-on-calendar/cheerfulearful-4nov23 Robin’s book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Friends-Understanding-Power-Important-Relationships/dp/0349143579/   Max’s book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1838853545/